Manufacturing News
November 8, 2026
November 8, 2026 · Statewide · Story 2 of 5
Conexus AI Maturity Assessment Scores Small Indiana Manufacturers Against Each Other
Conexus Indiana launched a free AI Maturity Assessment Oct. 27 that scores small and mid-size advanced manufacturing and logistics companies, those with fewer than 150 employees, from 0 to 100 against Indiana peers, then routes them to workshops and a use-case catalog. The companion 2026 benchmarking report found small Indiana companies experiment with AI more often than large ones (41% versus 28%) but get fewer projects into production (21% versus 48%), and that 57% of small-company AI projects cost under $25,000 in the first year. That last number undercuts the budget excuse 34% of small companies give for not adopting AI. Conexus senior director Justin Crewse said the companies that get past a pilot share one thing in common: a single named owner and an agreed definition of success before the test starts, not a bigger check.
- Impact
- The data runs against the program's own framing: large Indiana companies have AI in production at more than double the rate of small ones (48% vs. 21%) yet start fewer projects to begin with, suggesting large firms have a pilot-to-production discipline small shops lack. The 57%-under-$25,000 figure also undercuts the budget-barrier narrative that 34% of small companies cite, pointing instead to awareness and project-definition competency as the real bottleneck. There's an unaddressed sustainability question too: the entire IN AI stack runs through CICP, a private CEO-led organization, with no disclosed dedicated state appropriation as of WFYI's April 2026 reporting on Gov. Braun's initiative.
- Watch
- Whether Conexus publishes a follow-up benchmarking cycle as companies retake the assessment on its recommended 6-12 month cadence, and uptake at the next IN AI Roadshow stop.
- For the huddle
If 57% of small-company AI projects cost under $25,000, is budget really why we haven't moved past a pilot, or do we lack the single day-to-day owner and pre-agreed definition of success Conexus says separates production systems from stalled tests?
Conexus found 57% of small-company AI projects cost under $25,000 in year one, so budget usually isn't the actual barrier, pick one production-scheduling problem, name a single owner, and agree on what success looks like before you start.
Sources
- New Tool Shows Manufacturing and Logistics Companies Where They Stand on AI · buildingindiana.com
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